Large & Small, Success & Failure

A few Sundays ago, I felt that we had the worst of both worlds. The evening service was sparsely attended (I know there were some good reasons for absence: no-one need message me) and over half of our congregation of 23 were in the employ of Yorkshire Camps, which was good for the average age stats, but not for all our empty space. In the summer, we had some evening congregations of over fifty, with deacons and others scrambling round for extra communion cups, as more kept coming.

Yet in thay day's earlier, morning service, we had over 90 worshippers, with even the unpopular, front row pews occupied. It felt cramped, and the line of cars on the lane stretched away into the distance, which shall doubtless warrant another raft of complaints via the Parish Council. To cap it all, a visitor remarked that he had not found us the most welcoming of churches.  

It seems to me that there are pros and cons of being a (relatively) large or small church, and that we experienced the cons of both. A visitor feeling unwelcome and folk all crammed together, while several hours later, the singing was quiet and the place felt deserted. Okay, not quite, but it still had the effect of making me feel deflated.

I sometimes hear people from other churches describing some former pastor as being unsuited to the ministry, of not having been truly called by God, or of being there for the wrong reasons. Knowing some of the examples cited, I am inclined to agree. Yet I rack my brains wondering why someone would become a pastor if God has not truly called them. That Sunday morning, I felt I had failed for not being able to speak to everyone in person, while in the evening, I felt like I had failed for making evening worship such an apparently unattractive prospect. I shall answer to the Lord for my failings of course, but in the meantime, we keep going, keep serving, and keep honouring our Saviour. And whether it be in the company of few or many, in a country chapel or an urban complex, let us meet for His sake, with as many who deign to join us.